UK firm to become global player in driverless cars market

RDM Group is setting its sights on becoming a global force in autonomous vehicles, after announcing it is in advanced discussions to secure more than £15m of contracts.

David Keene, CEO, RDM Group.

RDM Group, which is heavily involved in the LUTZ and UK Autodrive projects, is currently in talks with shopping centres, airports and local authorities to supply driverless pods for transporting people and cargo.

The firm has been showcasing its capabilities to potential customers in the Far East, the Middle East and the US, and is expecting to create up to 20 new jobs to cope with the rise in production.

Bosses have also recently returned from Texas after being personally invited to the high-profile Transportation Technology Conference.

CEO, David Keene explained: “Our pioneering work in developing the UK’s first driverless vehicles has seen us attract significant media coverage around the world and this has led to lots of enquiries from organisations keen to be at the forefront of this technology.

“We have proven that we have the design and manufacturing skills needed to make this new form of transport possible and we are now starting to unearth all of the different applications it could be used for.”

David Keene was named in the inaugural TM Top 100.

The Manufacturer Top 100project, now in its third year, is an annual published list of 100 inspiring figures in manufacturing.

It aims to raise the profile of industry, dispel the myths surrounding it, create a platform to publicly identify dynamic individuals in the sector, and show to the world that manufacturing is a vibrant, exciting, creative and well-paid industry to be involved in.

If you know someone who is achieving great feats in industry, nominate them in 200 words or less before May 31.

He continued: “There’s been lots of meetings in numerous countries and we’ve also hosted delegations to our advanced engineering centre in the UK, where we can demonstrate some of the pods in action.

“Coventry used to be at the heart of the world’s transport sector and we have a vision to put the City at the forefront again, making driverless vehicles a reality for everyone.”

RDM used the trip to Texas to keep abreast of the latest developments in technology deployment and to meet some of North America’s leading figures in transportation.

The company, which employs 61 people, also held meetings with a number of universities and airports keen to collaborate and explore the feasibility of using its pods.

Miles Garner, sales and marketing director, continued: “Our involvement in LUTZ in Milton Keynes and the current UK Autodrive programme has given us a fantastic platform to lead the way in this technology.

“Shortly, we will be launching our range of next generation pods, operating on our own Autonomous Control System (ACS). These will be capable of accommodating two to eight people, including wheelchair access and cargo variants.

“We are in advanced negotiations with a number of potential customers and invitations to collaborate are happening weekly.”

He added: “The Government, through its UKTI arm, featured us in its Smart Cities Official Pitch Book, which will be distributed to all UK embassies across the world to showcase how we can help reduce pollution and congestion in our cities.”